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Almost four years down the line, GTA V is still drawing big crowds. And players are dropping a lot of dollar on the game's ballistic online mode. That cash is filling up the safes at Take-Two Interactive. The distributor announced on Wednesday that the latest instalment in the GTA franchise was key to it banking $418.2 million in net revenue over the past three months -- a 34 percent spike compared to last year.

The news about ex-Squad members leaving for Valve was ultimately overblown, but there's still plenty of drama in the indie developer's life: Take-Two Interactive has bought the rights to Kerbal Space Program. The move will turn the spaceship building hit into a "long-term franchise." In other words, you can expect to see spinoffs set in the Kerbals' universe. Take-Two tells Engadget that it's currently "focused on the existing game," though, so don't expect it to rush out a game right away.

Grand Theft Auto V launched over three years ago, yet it's still a big money-maker, proving that — at least in some small way — crime does pay. The popular open-world action game has now shipped 75 million copies, publisher Take-Two Interactive revealed today during an earnings call.

Sports video games attempt to offer an experience that's as lifelike as possible, which includes details like players' tattoos. NBA 2K16is a title that does just that, and the pursuit of accuracy may land it in legal trouble. Take-Two, the parent company of 2K Sports that makes the basketball game, was hit with a lawsuit this week from the designers that created some of the big-name players' tattoos. Solid Oak Sketches, LLC claims that Take-Two should have to pay up for using the artwork in the game. Tattoo copyrights don't exist, but Solid Oak argues that the "pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works" of the artists should be protected by law.

Turtle Rock Studios' four-versus-one multiplayer shooter Evolve will receive a number of add-ons following the game's launch in February. For $25, the game's Hunting Season Pass will introduce four new playable hunters this spring, one for each class in the game. Each hunter will also be available for purchase for $7.49 each. Season pass holders will also get exclusive access to three monster skins at Evolve's launch: Magma Goliath, Magma Kraken and Magma Wraith.

Turtle Rock Studios also revealed the Behemoth, a fourth playable "tank of a monster" that transforms into a rolling boulder, available this spring for $15. The Behemoth will also be part of the Monster Expansion Pack, a bonus for those that pre-order or pre-purchase Evolve. That expansion pack itself features a free Savage Goliath skin at the game's launch.

Additionally, the developer revealed two special edition versions of the game today, each available for pre-purchase. Evolve's Digital Deluxe Edition features the monster-slaying game, its season pass and the Monster Expansion Pack for $80, available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. PC players get a special collector's edition to themselves as well: Evolve's $100 PC Monster Race Edition features the same goodies as the Digital Deluxe Edition as well as a fifth monster, two hunters and four monster skins that will be exclusive to PC Monster Race Edition players for 30 days.

Evolve will launch on February 10 and is available to pre-download starting today on Xbox One. While you can find a new trailer for the game to showcase the Behemoth after the break, stay tuned to Joystiq Streams at 4:00 p.m. ET today for a livestream of Evolve in action.

As the snow drifted quietly this wintry morn, Rockstar Games offered a new "Festive Surprise" update for Grand Theft Auto 5. Players will now be able to use proximity mines and a homing missile launcher in the game, which will feature occasional snowy days. The update also adds holiday pajamas, Christmas sweaters, hats, scarves, masks and other festive gear for free, available through Monday, January 5. GTA 5's Festive Surprise update also features special gifts on Christmas Day (December 25) and a firework launcher and firework rocket ammo to celebrate New Year's. Lastly, players can pick up four new vehicles, such as the Hot Rod Christmas Ratloader and the Slam Van.

The open world game's update also tweaked a few of the game's mechanics, adding an on/off switch for the first-person mode's auto-level setting as well as deadzone and acceleration slider controls. Better yet, players are now able to own a third property in GTA Online, allowing them to own up to 30 cars and 9 bicycles. While the Festive Surprise update is available to all players, a recent developer Q&A addressed concerns over next-gen-exclusive updates, such as first-person mode. Rockstar stressed that "there may be some updates that are only technically possible on the new hardware," though it does "hope to continue delivering as many updates as we can for all four consoles for as long as possible." GTA Online's heist missions will be available for all players in early 2015.

Grand Theft Auto 5 will get its cooperative online heist missions in early 2015, Rockstar Games revealed today. The developer originally expected to add heists to GTA Online this past spring, apologizing for the delay later in June. As of November, Rockstar said online heists would surface in the game's online world following GTA 5's next-gen launch.

As the latest trailer for the game shows, the online heist missions appear to feature a number of vehicles, such as planes and helicopters; you can head past the break to sneak a peek. We deemed the updated edition of Grand Theft Auto 5 the "definitive version" of the chaotic open-world game in our review.

Borderlands may be the series to finally fill the void of cross-generation remasters, going by a new listing published by the Australian Classification Board. The MA15+ multiplatform rating for "Borderlands Remastered Edition" notes Gearbox Software and 2K Australia as the authors and 2K as the publisher. All that's missing is the official confirm from 2K [Update: When approached, a 2K spokesperson told Joystiq, "We have made no announcements and have nothing to state at this time.]

From here on in we've firmly got our speculating psycho mask on. So, the three Borderlands - 1, 2 and The Pre-Sequel - came to the last generation of systems. So it would make sense for a remastered re-release to bundle the trilogy for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Throw in all the DLC (why not?) and a friendly price tag and you, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.

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2k2k-gamesacbaustraliaaustralian-classification-boardborderlandsborderlands game of the year editionborderlands-remasteredborderlands-remastered-editiongearbox-softwareratingstake-twotake-two-interactiveFri, 12 Dec 2014 08:00:00 -050011|21115366https://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/10/take-two-unaffected-by-gta5s-removal-from-australian-stores/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/10/take-two-unaffected-by-gta5s-removal-from-australian-stores/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/10/take-two-unaffected-by-gta5s-removal-from-australian-stores/#comments

Target and Kmart stores in Australia pulled Grand Theft Auto 5 from their shelves last week, following a review of the game's content and feedback from customers, the companies said. A change.org petition with nearly 50,000 signatures decried the game's depiction of violence against women and called upon Australian Target stores to remove the game. Take-Two President Karl Slatoff called the situation "disappointing" at a conference this week, but said it's not that big of a deal.

"Australia is relatively small for us and two retailers are relatively small in the context of Australia," Slatoff said. "There are other places for folks to buy Grand Theft Auto in Australia." Despite the low impact of the stores' decisions – both are subsidiaries of retail group Westfarmers – Slatoff had more to say about the situation. A lot more:

"It's one thing for someone to not want to buy a piece of content, which is completely understandable," Slatoff said. "And that's really the solution. If you don't like it and it's offensive to you, then you don't buy it. But for a person or a group of people to try to make that decision for millions of people .... We have 34 million people who bought Grand Theft Auto, and if these folks had their way, none of those people would be able to buy Grand Theft Auto. And that really just flies in the face of everything that free society is based on. It's the freedom of expression, and to try to squelch that is a dangerous and slippery slope to go down. So it's really more disappointing for us in that regard than it is in the context of our business. Our business is going to be completely unaffected by this; it doesn't make a difference to us. At the end of the day though, it's not something you want because it's a poor leadership decision."

Slatoff said that Take-Two hadn't seen a change in consumer habits in the area.

Former LucasArts stapleHaden Blackman will head a new studio for publisher 2K. Designated Hangar 13, the Novato, California studio is working on an unannounced next-gen title.

Blackman was senior executive producer for the Star Wars games at LucasArts, working on Knights of the Old Republic and The Force Unleashed. After that, he founded and sold off Fearless Studios.
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2k2k-gamestake-twotake-two-interactiveThu, 04 Dec 2014 10:15:00 -050011|21002809https://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/18/holy-crap-a-bunch-of-games-launched-today/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/18/holy-crap-a-bunch-of-games-launched-today/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/18/holy-crap-a-bunch-of-games-launched-today/#comments

Dragon Age: Inquisition reached Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC today, and was received well in our five-star review of the game. Joystiq Streams took Dragon Age for a spin earlier this week, so those that want a taste of the game's first hour should watch the archived video. Meanwhile, Ubisoft dished Far Cry 4 out to current-gen, last-gen and PC players, a game deemed the "undisputed king" of open-world shooters that offers a "staggering number of adventures."
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2k-sportsbiowaredragon-agedragon-age-inquisitioneaelectronic-artsfar-cry-4grand-theft-auto-5gtagta5microsoftnew-releasesnintendonovember-18october-7out-nowpcplaystationps3ps4rockstarrockstar-gamestake-twoubisoftwatch-dogswii-uwwe-2k15xboxxbox-oneTue, 18 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -050011|20995409https://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/18/rockstar-troubleshoots-gta-online-character-transfer-issues/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/18/rockstar-troubleshoots-gta-online-character-transfer-issues/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/18/rockstar-troubleshoots-gta-online-character-transfer-issues/#comments

Rockstar Games is investigating Grand Theft Auto 5 PS4 and Xbox One save progress transfer issues following its launch today, the developer acknowledged on its GTA Onlinesupport site. The next-gen version of the game was announced during Sony's E3 2014 press conference in June, along with the news that players could transfer their character's progress from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions to PS4 and Xbox One.

Specifically, the problems are cropping up for players that haven't played GTA 5 in some time. "We are looking into an issue preventing character transfer and GTA Online login on accounts that haven't played GTA Online since 2013," Rockstar wrote on the support site. The developer noted in an update that "this issue has now been addressed for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 users, and will be addressed for Xbox One and Xbox 360 users by tomorrow." Xbox One players should be able to log in to GTA Online, but won't be able to transfer their character progress just yet.

Rockstar's new PS3/PS4 comparison vid for Grand Theft Auto 5 sits somewhere between chill-out and trippy. One moment there's greenery, deer and dolphins, the next there are people magically appearing out of nowhere. Were those people on the street always there, but just... invisible before? Are they ghost people? Maybe we're all ghost people? Whoa.

Revelations aside, GTA 5 hits PS4 and Xbox One on November 18, and PC in 2015.

BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition is due out on November 4 for Xbox 360 and PS3, Take-Two's second quarter 2015 financial report confirms, but there's no mention of a PC launch date. Previously, 2K said BioShock Infinite: Complete Edition would be out for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC "later this year." We've reached out to 2K for clarification on the PC release.

Retailer listings for BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition say the bundle features all of the game's DLC packs, including the Clash in the Clouds arena combat mode, and prices it at $40.

Take-Two reported $126.3 million in revenue for the second quarter (ending September 30), a slight increase compared to the $125.4 million in revenue the publisher reported last quarter. It also represents a 15.1 percent decline compared to the same quarter last year, a period that itself didn't benefit from the launch of GTA 5, but rather The Bureau: XCOM Declassified and Borderlands 2 GOTY. By comparison, Take-Two didn't have many releases in the past quarter, save for three mobile games: Civilization Revolution 2, BioShock and WWE SuperCard.

The company also reported a net loss of $41.4 million for the quarter, representing a 66.7 percent improvement year-over-year, yet a 16.9 percent decline from its net losses for the last quarter ($35.4 million). With games like NBA 2K15, WWE 2K15, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Civilization: Beyond Earth arriving during the following quarter, Take-Two increased its non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) net revenue projections from $745 million to $760 million for Q3 2015.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is all about loot, murder, humor, loot, swarms of enemies and loot. It looks like a comic book, plays like a shooter, and feels like that one hilarious idea you and your buddies had at two in the morning after a night of riding around town and chugging energy drinks. Also, loot. In other words, it's more Borderlands.

The Pre-Sequel introduces a few new ideas into the franchise – including near-zero gravity, oxygen management and shiny character classes based on NPCs from the previous games. Players participate in the story of Handsome Jack, before he became the villain in Borderlands 2, back when he was just a funny dude with wild ideas about being a hero.

Still, while The Pre-Sequel boasts the loot of a full Borderlands game, it's missing a touch of depth and a dash of polish.
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2k-australia2k-gamesborderlands-the-pre-sequelgearboxmicrosoftpcplaystationps3take-twotake-two-interactivexboxMon, 13 Oct 2014 08:00:00 -040011|20976847https://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/22/gta-5-adding-first-person-vehicle-view-on-pc-next-gen/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/22/gta-5-adding-first-person-vehicle-view-on-pc-next-gen/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/22/gta-5-adding-first-person-vehicle-view-on-pc-next-gen/#comments

A since-pulled support article on Rockstar's website points to some new features for Grand Theft Auto 5 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. According to the article, seen above, the revised versions of GTA 5 will feature a first-person mode for vehicles "that shows the interior of the vehicle, including working speedometers, tachometers, dash lights, and more." The game will also include a first-person mode "while on foot."

Rockstar plans to offer an "overhauled character selection screen" as well as new Easter eggs and random events for the game's story mode. The developer noted that new animals will appear in the city of Los Santos, and appears to be determining whether animals will also appear in the game's online modes. Lastly, it added that players transferring characters from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game will receive "new weapons and a free garage in GTA Online." GTA 5 will reach PS4 and Xbox One on November 18 and launch on PC in 2015.

Rockstar Games announced this morning that the next-gen console versions of Grand Theft Auto 5 will arrive in two months, with the PC version driving in early next year. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will arrive on November 18, while the PC edition follows on January 27, 2015.

Developer Rockstar highlights improvements to the versions of the sinful sandbox available on Xbox 360 and PS3 include new weapons, vehicles and activities, more wildlife, denser traffic (sitting in that is always fun!), new foliage system (wow, so lush, very green) and enhanced damage and weather effects.

Lindsay Lohan's Grand Theft Auto 5 lawsuit was "filed for publicity purposes" according to creator Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive. Lohan sued Rockstar and Take-Two for damages back in July over the in-game character of Lacey Jonas, a troubled young actress who struggles with an eating disorder and dealing with the paparazzi.

The case claimed Lohan's image, voice and styles from her clothing label were all used to depict Jonas, forming an "unequivocal" reference to the Mean Girls star. As the Associated Press reports, Rockstar is having none of it. Manhattan court papers made public this week show Take-Two and its subsidiary not only want the suit dismissed, but the company wants Lohan to pay its legal fees. As far as Take-Two is concerned, Jonas only resembles Lohan in being a young, blonde woman.

2K's free mobile trading card game WWE SuperCard has been downloaded over 1.5 million times, the publisher revealed today. In the game, players put together a deck of cards composed of WWE superstars, then pit their stable against other players in both exhibition matches and King of the Ring-themed tournaments. WWE SuperCard launched roughly a week and a half ago for iOS and Android.

The publisher noted that over 82 million victories were recorded in exhibition mode, and that over 575,000 King of the Ring tournaments were kicked off since the game launched. Players logged in to the game for over 18 million unique play sessions, which averaged about 14 minutes each time. The free-to-play game allows players to purchase in-game currency that unlocks card packs, which range in price from $1.99 to $25, to acquire the game's 400-plus unique cards. 2K said it intends to update the game's roster and introduce new cards in the future.

2K unveiled a new game today that puts pro wrestling and trading cards in the same ring, WWE SuperCard. The game is available now on iOS and Android via Google Play for free, and has players building teams of WWE superstars to compete against other players' decks in exhibition and King of the Ring matches. The card battler features somewhat humorous animations in which two trading cards twirl and body slam one another after a simple comparison of their power, charisma and other skills.

Developed by Cat Daddy Games, WWE SuperCard also features the combining and training of cards in order to build players' stables of wrestlers, in addition to paid card packs. By purchasing in-game credits at a minimum rate of 200 for $1.99, players can pick up Superstar Packs that offer one random card of "common" or "epic" rarity for roughly one dollar. The most expensive bundles are Epic Packs, which cost 2,500 credits ($25) and dish out one random superstar card of "epic" or "legendary" rarity.

WWE 2K15 will feature a 2K Showcase career mode that spotlights two wrestling rivalries in WWE's history, 2K Sports announced. The mode will focus on the feud between Triple H and Shawn Michaels from 2002 to 2004 as well as the more recent rivalry between CM Punk and cover star John Cena from 2011 to 2013. CM Punk's contract with WWE recently ended, so the Chicago-born wrestler's inclusion in the upcoming game was previously in question.

The 2K Showcase mode will span 33 matches across the two rivalries in a mini-documentary style similar to WWE 13's Attitude Era mode and 30 Years of WrestleMania in WWE 2K14, complete with video packages and scripted commentary as well as historically-accurate characters and events. By playing through the rivalry mode, players will unlock wrestlers, alternate attire and championship titles that can be accessed throughout the rest of the game. Additionally, 2K Sports will build on the 2K Showcase mode after the game's launch by introducing more rivalries as DLC packs, though it did not say what feuds will be included (fingers crossed for Heath Slater's series of losses in 2012 to various WWE legends). WWE 2K15 will launch October 28 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Take-Two reported $125.4 million in net revenue for the fiscal first quarter of 2015, a three-month period of time that ended on June 30. That represents a 12 percent decline compared to the same quarter last year ($142.7 million), and a 35.8 percent drop from the previous quarter.

The publisher also reported a net loss of $35.4 million, a 14.9 percent jump from its $30.8 million losses reported last quarter. That also compares favorably to the same quarter one year ago, as Take-Two's reported losses are a 42.8 percent decrease from the $61.9 million losses for fiscal Q1 2014. The publisher also announced a delay for one of its major upcoming releases, Turtle Rock Studios' Evolve, which will now launch on February 10, 2015.

Publisher 2K has shipped more than 10 million copies of Borderlands 2, maintaining its spot as the highest-selling game in the company's history, a spokesperson tells Joystiq. Overall, 2K has shipped more than 18 million copies within the Borderlands franchise.

During today's Take-Two financial call, President Karl Slatoff addressed the viability of series developer Gearbox's next installment, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, when it's launching exclusively on current-gen consoles and PC:

"Our view is that if you give consumers what they want, they come out for it. Our catalog sales have done very well – as we announced in this quarter, it's one of the key reasons we were able to beat in the quarter. We have a lot of faith in the Borderlands franchise. There's still a huge install base of consumers; Borderlands is beloved .... We have very high hopes for The Pre-Sequel for current-gen platforms and PC, indeed. But it will be reliant on quality, and we expect to deliver a really high-quality game."

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel launches on October 14 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – we'll see how many more copies 2K's tower of 18 million can handle.

The launch of Evolve has been delayed to 2015, Take-Two indicated in the company's fiscal first quarter 2015 financial report. The game will now launch globally on February 10, 2015.

Evolve was previously expected to arrive on October 21.

Evolve is Turtle Rock Studios' four-versus-one monster-hunting game for PS4, Xbox One and PC. In it, players team up with three friends to take down a large beast or can opt to take on the hunting party as the single monster. Our video preview of Evolve discusses the shooter's four character classes as well as its jetpacks and other tools that make the game's combat interesting.

Update: Take-Two President Karl Slatoff said during the publisher's financial call that it "primarily decided the title deserves and should have more time to be polished so it can reach its absolute optimal state before we release it," and that "historically, we've benefited from giving the creative teams more time to polish the titles, we've never regretted it."

Slatoff also stressed that he views the delay as not being a "meaningful amount of time," given that Evolve will still launch during Take-Two's fiscal year, and that February is a "pretty terrific" release window. "It's not at all crowded, and we will benefit from the fact that there are a lot of holiday sales of consoles. The install base will be bigger," Slatoff said.